From our inception, we have been known for bringing computer information to life through computer graphics. Our invention of the GPU introduced the world to the power of programmable graphics. Our subsequent invention of CUDA has enabled the massively parallel processing capabilities of GPUs to be harnessed to accelerate general purpose computing. About 29 percent of our revenue in fiscal 2015 ($1.36 billion) funded research and development activities. In total, we have invested more than $10 billion in research and development since our inception, yielding some 7,000 patent assets, including inventions essential to modern computing.

Our business model has three elements: creating NVIDIA-branded products and services, offering our processors to original equipment manufacturers, and licensing our intellectual property.

Our GPUs are chosen by gamers to enjoy immersive, beautiful fantasy worlds. They are used by professional designers to create visual effects in movies and design products ranging from soft drink bottles to commercial aircraft. And they are used by scientists and researchers to accelerate a wide range of important applications, from simulations of viruses to deep learning and global oil exploration.

GPUs, the engines of visual computing, are among the world's most complex processors. Our GPU product brands aimed at specialized markets include GeForce for gamers; Quadro for designers; Tesla for researchers, deep learning and big-data analysts; and GRID for cloud-based visual computing users.

We also integrate our GPUs into tiny mobile chips called system-on-a-chip processors, which power tablets, and automotive infotainment and safety systems. Our Tegra brand integrates an entire computer onto a single chip, incorporating GPUs and multi-core CPUs with audio, video and input/output capabilities. They can also be integrated with baseband processors to add voice and data communication. Tegra conserves power while delivering state-of-the-art graphics and multimedia processing.

Patents and Proprietary Rights

We continuously assess whether and where to seek formal protection for particular innovations and technologies, based on such factors as the commercial significance of our operations and our competitors' operations in particular countries and regions, the location in which our products are manufactured, our strategic technology or product directions in different countries, and the degree to which intellectual property laws exist and are meaningfully enforced in different jurisdictions.